February 2015

Mr. Smith goes to high school

Students visit Washington D.C. (page 2)

Corris leaves FASD, Hernandez moves to middle school

After the resignation of Dr. Darlene Corris, Mr. Frank Hernandez left Freedom Area High School to fulfill Corris’ former position as Freedom Area Middle School Principal. Until someone is permanently approved to fill Hernandez’s former position as the assistant principal, Mr. Ryan Smith, the former Lead Teacher at the Middle School, is the Interim Assistant Principal.

“I’ll be the Middle School Principal, so I’ll be in charge of all curriculum, instruction [and] assessment, so I’ll be working with teachers to make sure that they offer kids rigorous and challenging learning opportunities,” Hernandez said. Hernandez said goodbye to the FHS students and staff at an assembly on Feb. 17.

“All I’ve ever known was Freedom High School. I student taught here, I subbed here, I worked with Mrs. Martz and the counselors here, I taught U.S. history here, coached here, I’ve been [in] the play before here [and] I’ve been an administrator here,” Hernandez

Michael Fricke/FHS Press

Joey Pail jpail@freedomarea.org Hannah Shumsky hshumsky@freedomarea.org

Mr. Ryan Smith sits at his new desk as Interim Assistant Principal

said at the assembly.

As the Interim High School Assistant Principal, Smith will be filling the position for the time being, but it’s unknown if he will be in this position permanently. The district will be going through an interview process with applicants and the person to fulfill the position will be approved at a future board meeting. “[Smith] will be filling in while people apply. Once we know who all has applied, we’ll do whatever interviews are necessary and then, we’ll choose from that pool of applicants to choose who the next high school assistant principal will be,” Principal Mr. William Deal said.

“No one has been appointed

An early Valentine’s Day

to Mr. Smith’s position as Middle School Lead Teacher at this time,” Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fuller said.

“My goal is to be fair and consistent for all students. I want to be able to communicate with the students as the make choices, good and bad,” Smith said. Smith will also be coaching track and field in the spring, which will give him more opportunities to connect with the students.

Smith will be picking right where Hernandez left off.

“I think he’ll have to focus on the same thing I need to focus on down there, [which] is getting to know the student body, knowing their strengths and what they can bring to the table to enhance the education at Freedom,” Hernandez said. Smith plans to do this by walking around the school halls, going into classrooms and sitting with students during lunch periods.

“I really enjoy this age group of students. I started my career out in a high school setting and I was excited to get the opportunity to do it again. I also really enjoy the staff here at the high school and look forward to a great finish to the year,” Smith said.

Brianna McKee/FHS Press

For the last five years the Someone Special has dance allowed many students, from kindergarten to sixth grade to bring an adult loved one to dance at Big Knob Elementary School.

This year’s dance was held on Feb. 12 and over 200 attended, with each student accompanied by a loved one. Many of the young students brought their parents, while others invited their older siblings or grandparents.

“We’ve sponsored [the dance] for the last four years,” Kristie Mohrbacher said. Both she and her husband, John Mohrbacher, have sponsored all but one year of the dance.

The dance has served the students well over the years. It opens up the opportunity for the young students to create a strong bond between themselves and an adult and also allows them to incorporate an adult into their lives. By being invited by a student, an older loved one can also have a sense of feeling wanted by a young student.

Located in the school’s gym,

the dance had many perks to draw students and the loved one to attend. “[The dance] is a lot of fun and it’s everything I expected,” Sixth grader Alexis Surenda, who has attended the dance for the last three years, said.

The dance had many activities to keep the students active such as limbo contests, the electric slide, a father-son dance and a motherdaughter dance. The activities even included a fun dance to keep the students close to their loved ones.

In this dance, each couple were to get a newspaper and stand upon the newspaper. They would dance on top of them and the judges would keep a lookout for people who stopped dancing or stepped off the paper. After each section of the dance, the paper was to be folded in half, causing the two to be closer together. The end of the activity concluded to a winning couple.

“My favorite thing [about the dance] is getting to dance with your family and having fun,” Surenda said.

The dance also held over 15 raffle baskets for the families.

Some baskets included things such as candy and treats while others

Internet fame battle (page 7)

See SMITH page 2

‘Someone Special Dance’ attracts students Brianna McKee bmckee@freedomarea.org

Haggerty starts research (page 2)

Young students and their loved ones have fun balancing on folded newspapers.

included toys and books from the hit movie, “Frozen.”

“I wish I could come again next year, but it’s only from kindergarten to sixth-grade,” Surenda said.

Not only could the students spend time with their loved ones, they could also spend time playing and dancing with their classmates.

The beginning of the dance had students running and dancing with their friends while the adults would take it easy and talk with fellow parents.

“We [Skybacher Ministries] hope for it to be a great annual event and hope it brings the whole Freedom community together, both young and old,” John Mohrbacher said.

Girls’ basketball team goes to playoffs (page 12)

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NEWS

2

Questioning the arts?

FHS Press

Haggerty conducts survey on students’ art experience Olivia Jansen ojansen@freedomarea.org

Freedom Area High School’s art teacher, Mrs. Kaylee Haggerty, has been researching on how student’s grades can reflect if they take an art class or not. In order to find her answer, she’ll be taking senior art students and non-art students and surveying them online in late February.

She’ll ask, “is there anything about the arts that has helped them?”

For example, if they reached an issue with something, would they persevere and stay with it because of the arts?

With the acquired information, she’s going to compare the data of seniors

who have taken an art class and those who haven’t. The GPAs of the students will also be taken into account to see how it’s affected as well.

“I have decided to do seniors because they have had more opportunities to take art class. So, I can look and see if it affected them,” Haggerty said. This is helpful because not only has she known these seniors for years, but she has built up relationships with them. Also, before the survey, she’ll be sending out permission slips to make sure the students and their parents are OK that she looks at their information, even though everything will be anonymous.

What is the effect of enrollment in a visual arts class on 12 grade

Behind the scenes

achievement as measured by GPA and student perception? This research question will be answered by the questions asked in Haggerty’s survey.

Do you believe your experience in art class has helped you in your other classes in any way, and how have the arts aided you in your other courses?

Why have you opted out of taking art, and do you plan on taking art in the future? These questions are to be answered by non-art-taking and art-taking senior students to show the difference or similarity as well as the diversity in the answers given.

Haggerty is doing this research project for her master’s degree. It’ll be published into the National Art Education Association Journal.

Cast prepares for upcoming production of ‘West Side Story’ Emily Allego eallego@freedomarea.org Jamie Croll jcroll@freedomarea.org

As Freedom’s drama club production of West Side Story quickly approaches, the cast and crew are working hard in order to put on a great show.

“West Side Story” is about the conflict between two teenage street gangs living in mid-1950s New York City: the Sharks and the Jets. The Sharks are a gang from Puerto Rico and the Jets are an American gang.

Tony, played by Senior Robert Raso is an ex-Jet who falls in love with Maria, played by Sophomore Maddie Edder, the sister of the leader

of the Sharks.

“This year’s cast has worked harder than any I’ve seen. That is all due to the attendance,” Musical Director Mrs. Debra Williamson said.

Without practice, the show wouldn’t go on. Because of this, attendance to rehearsals is very important. When cast members don’t show up to practice, it can put stress on others; certain lines have to be retaught and choreography has to be worked on again instead of the students learning something new.

“It affects the cast as a whole when people don’t show up because it prohibits the person that interacts with the absent person from learning what he or she should do. It also prevents the absent person from

learning it, too, and wastes time at the next rehearsal making up lost time,” Sophomore Kameron Mayhue said.

That is why when all the members of the cast are present, the progress of the musical continues on track.

“Practice absolutely runs much smoother when everyone is there.

Which so far this year, attendance at rehearsals has been outstanding compared to past years,” Mayhue said.

Not only do the actors and actresses need to have perfect attendance, but the rest of the cast also has to be there in order for production to continue. Outside of being a singer, dancer or cast member, there are many other positions available that allow people

SMITH continued I

All these changes have been made because of Corris leaving the middle school principal position.

After two years of being assistant principal at the high school and two-and-a-half years of being principal for the middle school, Corris has left the district to teach in Pittsburgh.

She left Freedom Feb. 11 to go to her new job at Pittsburgh Public as

I will miss you guys more than you will ever know, I promise you that. - Mr. Frank Hernandez their K-12 Science Director.

Starting out in Freedom, she was the assistant principal at the high school and then took the principal position down at the

middle school when the opportunity arrived. Now, after six years, she has decided to go to Pittsburgh.

“When the opportunity with Pittsburgh Public was offered to me,

February 27, 2015

However, her project won’t officially be finished until the end of the semester.

Getting the information, writing her hypothesis and coming to a conclusion takes a large amount of time. So, by the end of May, she’ll finally submit her project to the Journal.

What Haggerty is hoping to achieve is to learn more about what helps students with their overall academic success. Also, she wants to learn more about Freedom students and what makes them better learners. The goal is to learn more about the students, to get this published in “Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research in Art Education” and to complete her master's program with this research.

to take part in the musical. There are spotlight technicians, curtain operators, director’s assistants and many other positions.

“As one of [Williamson’s] director’s assistants, I help her take attendance, direct the cast (who is needed on stage, etc.) and organize different information,” Sophomore Meghan Kiefer said.

Every position, no matter big or small, comes together to put on the show. With musical practice taking place almost every night of the week, all the cast and crew members must devote a lot of their time to the show.

“It’s amazing how hard all the cast has been working this year. You can really tell everyone wants this to be the best show yet,” Senior Amanda Fischer said.

I contemplated my decision heavily, talked it over with my family and decided that the opportunity would allow me use the knowledge gained by my Doctorate, it would allow me to go back to the Science curriculum that I love and influence learning from a different perspective,” Corris said.

Students travel to nation’s capital Reilly Collins rcollins@freedomarea.org Gracie Hutchison ghutchison@freedomarea.org

On Feb. 6, Mrs. Carole Hartman and Ms. Katherine Gigl took a group of juniors and seniors to Washington, D.C. to visit the Holocaust Museum.

The trip was originally scheduled for Jan. 30 but was delayed due to bad weather. The bus, filled to the brim with 50 students, left the high school promptly at 6 a.m. to begin its day of travel.

The first official stop was Arlington National Cemetery around noon, where students were able to witness the changing of the guards.

The changing of the guards happens every hour outside of the Tomb of

the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony consists of three guards who partake in the change and, throughout the process, they never stop moving. Once they have completed the change, the guard left to keep watch marches back and forth for the next hour with complete discipline until it’s time for him to be relieved of duty.

“Arlington, in general, was very moving. Seeing the final resting places with the names of people I grew up hearing about gave a sense of pride about being an American,” Senior Jared Hartle said.

After touring the solemn Arlington Cemetery and witnessing the changing of the guards, the group travelled to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The students roamed freely through the museum, choosing whether to discov-

er more about the Holocaust alone or with a group. The museum, which officially opened its doors on April 22, 1993, is comprised of four levels, each representing a different stage of the Holocaust and Adolf Hitler’s gradual rise to power. The museum had different sections, one that teaches about the ghettos, another about the different kinds of camps and even a section to help younger visitors grasp the idea of the Holocaust. “[The Holocaust Museum] was really amazing to see because it really made you think about and connect to these people that had to go through such horrible times, and it was very sad,” Junior Stuart Skogsholm said.

After the Holocaust Memorial Museum, students travelled to a food court in the Ronald Reagan Building for dinner, where they could choose

their meal from a selection of restaurants in a food court. The students finished their day at Washington, D.C. by visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the National World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument . After which, the bus began its four-anda-half hour journey back to the high school.

The bus gradually drew quiet as the students succombed to exhaustion after a long day full of learning as the bus neared its destination. The students arrived back at the high school at approximately 1:20 a.m. .

February 27, 2015

FHS Press

Student of the Month and H.O.P.E. Award Eight students and one teacher are recognized for the month of February Theme:“Most Improved” “Brightens My Day”

Front row: Junior Mia Vogel, Cassidy Humberston, Freshman Taylor Shaffer, Sophomore Sydney Stiger, Mrs. Ellen Hill Back row: Mr. Frank Hernandez, Junior Evin DiCiero, Freshman David McKenna, Senior Brandon Padgett, Sophomore Levi Ditmore, Mr. William Deal

Ms. Katherine Gigl, high school social studies teacher & Mrs. Sherrie Blinn, high school custodial staff

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FHS Press

February 27, 2015

FASD news in brief Points of interest from February school board meetings Hannah Shumsky hshumsky@freedomarea.org

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S REPORT:

DIRECTOR OF BUILDING & GROUNDS REPORT:

During the Director of Building and Grounds report, Mortimer said that more salt was purchased to help with routine winter maintenance at all four schools. At the high school, the new HVAC control system project has been finished by Building Control System, Inc. There are also plans to

Michelle Keith/FHS Press

Mr. John Rosa opened the Feb. 5 meeting with his Athletic Director’s report. Plans for the Saturday, Oct. 10 Homecoming game against New Brighton were discussed as a possibility. That day, which is planned to be a community event, will include a festival and parade during the day, the game at 6:00 p.m. and a bonfire and dance afterwards. More details will be confirmed and finalized at a later date.

A proposal for a budget to help support Freedom’s independent sports athletes was announced as a work in progress. This will ensure that independents have some financial support from the district in order to keep playing their sport.

After Mr. Harry Gilarno, a school board member, voiced his concerns at a previous meeting about the dirty baseball dugouts, Rosa announced that Director of Building and Grounds, Mr. Gary Mortimer, as well as his co-workers, will be working on this when the weather improves.

tie the boiler from the locker rooms to the girls’ pool locker room; the pool locker room, which is used daily by referees and away teams, will get hot water as a result. They’re currently getting more information on this.

ELEMENTARY CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Mr. Scott Smith, from S.P. Smith Construction Services, LLC, reported on the progress of the new primary center. At the time of the meeting, construction was scheduled to be at 48 percent, but was actually at 46 percent completion. Smith requested approval for the modification of a corridor, which will result in a reimbursement of $1,495.22 to the district, addition of two copper ball valves to two of the bathrooms and modification of “electrical distribution,” which will help in the installation of Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) in one of the rooms (abbreviations.com).

All change orders, which cost $1,765, in total, were approved by the School Board at the following meeting.

HOPE AWARD PRESENTATION

The Feb. 12 meeting began with the recognition of FHS’s December and January Student of the Month and HOPE award winners. The Student of the Month winners for “Most Improved” were recognized for their achievements in front of their friends and families and received a shirt from the Freedom Fortune 500.

Mrs. Sherrie Blinn, one of the

Big Knob and Conway Elementary Principal, Mr. Rich Edder; Middle School Principal, Mr. Frank Hernandez; High School Principal, Mr. William Deal; Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Mrs. Misty Slavic and Business Manager, Mrs. Noriene Plate attended Feb. 12 board meeting.

HOPE award winners for “Brightens My Day,” was also recognized.

Freshman Ben Wright and Seniors Michelle Keith, Morgan Calahan and Raylen Welling were invited to talk about why they voted for Blinn.

“Knowing that I touched their lives this much makes an impact,” Blinn said.

The HOPE award spread to the middle school and elementary schools, too. Mrs. Angela Post, seventh grade math teacher, won the December HOPE award for “Supportive” and Mr. Rich Heisler, eighth grade earth & science teacher, won the January HOPE award for “Leadership.” Two middle school students read their nomination forms for the teachers at the

meeting. Mr. John Capehart, third grade teacher at Conway Elementary, received the January HOPE award for “Kindness.”

LUNCH PRICE INCREASE FOR 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR:

Starting in the 2015-2016 school year, lunch prices in all schools will increase by 10 cents. In the high school, the new lunch price will be $2.50. This price change will not affect breakfast or milk costs.

Next month’s board meeting will take place on March 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school library. Since Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fuller will be out of the district for part of the following week, there will not be a second meeting next month.

Potential cure for peanut allergies discovered According to PeanutAllergy.com, 3 million people in the United States alone are allergic to peanuts, tree nuts or both.

The peanut allergy affects people during every meal, causing them to stress over knowing every ingredient prior to eating any meal for the fear that they might ingest what their body deemed poisonous. Approximately 125 people die every year due to food allergies in the United States, with most being from severe peanut allergies. During a severe peanut allergic reaction, the allergy sufferer may experience anaphylaxis; a life-threatening allergic reaction.

The symptoms include constriction of the airways, throat swelling, rapid pulse, dizziness and unconsciousness.

Not only does having severe allergies affect the sufferer’s physical self, but their emotional and social lives as well.

“Bullying and exclusion are absolutely one of the worst feelings that come with having food allergies and I would never want someone to go through that,” Hannah Shumsky, member of the Mid-atlantic Teen

Brianna Frashure/FHS Press

Gracie Hutchison ghutchison@freedomarea.org

The seemingly harmless peanut can be lethal.

Advisory Group for Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), said.

Unfortunately, many of the sufferers are children who aren’t as thoughtful to the severity of their allergy or what the ingredients are in what they’re consuming. Peanuts are especially hard for children to avoid because it’s a common component in candy, ice cream and many more common foods consumed. This poses as a major danger to the younger sufferers. Their peanut allergy could easily take their life with a simple bite

of a cookie.

Peanut allergy sufferers of all ages, now, have hope for mild or total relief from their crippling allergy.

Researchers at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia are hopeful that they may have found a cure, or at least a mild remedy, to peanut allergies. The mysterious remedy is a probiotic protein found in fermented food and yogurt, which has been proven to take away all symptoms of deadly peanut allergies in 80 percent of the children studied.

The remaining 20 percent still had a mild or even severe allergic reaction to peanuts.

“Many of the children and families believe it has changed their lives, they’re very happy, they feel relieved,” Mimi Tang, the lead researcher, said.

The participants were given a daily dose of peanut protein with a probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus for 18 months. Lactobacillus rhamnosus helps maintain the balance of good bacteria needed to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in the stomach and intestines. The amount of dosage grew gradually throughout the year-and-ahalf study. The amount of protein in the probiotic is equivalent to eating a staggering 44 pounds of yogurt daily.

The protein probiotic, though it’s by no means 100 percent effective, is a definite breakthrough in the world of peanut allergy remedies.

“These findings provide the first vital step towards developing a cure for peanut allergies and possibly other food allergies,” Tang said.

February 27, 2015

FHS Press

January 31, December 20,2014 2013

FHS Press

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EDITORIAL:

To educate or incarcerate

Government spending on college vs. inmate raises concerns Zach Kugel zkugel@freedomarea.org

are putting more into incarceration instead of education. Since 1980, the state of California has built 20 new prisons but has only constructed one university according to knewton.com.

When every state is compared in this issue, Pennsylvania is one of the worst perpetrators. Between the years of 2000 to 2010, the number of those incarcerated grew 40 percent. As this grew, the Department of Corrections’ budget was increased by 37 percent.

The budget rose from $1.17 billion to $1.6 billion (booksthroughbars.org).

“Cuts can and must be made in criminal justice programs to meet these budgetary constraints without sacrificing public safety,” Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in a report in 2011 (booksthroughbars.org).

In 2011, Pennsylvania’s government slashed $1 billion dollars from public school funds. One of the biggest education issues happened in 2013 in the city of Philadelphia. The city contains the largest public school system in the state and had 23 schools closed because of their costs. During the same time, the government found $400 million to build a new prison right outside of the city. The government chose to open a prison over keeping 23 schools open (forbes.com) (psea.org).

You aren’t powerless in fixing this problem. You can email, call or write to Pennsylvania’s government, Governor Tom Wolf or even President Barack Obama. Let the politicians know that this isn’t an issue to take lightly.

in the high school auditorium. Then it’s time to go to the place where the prom will be held. The dance lasts until 5 a.m. At prom, students are served dinner and breakfast.

Lately, prom has become a big topic of discussion at Freedom. Even though May is a couple months away, many students are already getting excited for the dance. Countless students ask the question, “when should I start preparing for prom?”

How early is too early to ask someone to prom?

“I know girls like to get dresses early so it might be best to ask them sooner rather than later. If you have a date in mind, don’t wait until someone else asks them,” Dubovi said.

When should you buy your prom dress?

“I believe that if a girl has no

problem going alone, it doesn’t matter when they buy a dress. However, if they don’t want to go alone they should wait until they find a date to purchase a dress,” Senior Meghan Bohach said.

Some girls fear that someone might buy the same dress as them.

Because of this, many post pictures of their dresses on social media sites such as Instagram,Twitter and Facebook.

Numerous people worry about not having a date lined up yet or that they won’t find a dress they like.

Personally, I don’t think you need to worry quite yet. You still have plenty of time to find a date and buy the perfect dress.

The theme for the dance hasn’t been decided on, but in all reality, does the theme really matter? After grand march, the theme is usually no

longer relevant.

Girls don’t buy dresses to fit the theme; they buy dresses that they like.

Last year the theme of prom was hawaiian. During grand march, students were given leis and then at prom a limbo contest took place. Other than some hawaiian themed decorations, the theme didn’t affect prom.

Several students will complain that they don’t like the theme, but most students won’t decide to skip prom because they think the theme is “lame” or “uncool.”

“I think that no matter what the theme is, someone is always going to complain. However, I don’t think it affects people’s opinions because prom is an excuse to get dressed up, go out and have fun with their friends or a special someone,” Bohach said.

Courtesy of Books through Bars

The United States of America ranks number one in the number of prisoners, but only 14 in education.

There are three components to this issue that need reformation: it’s estimated that the United States has almost 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, the United States spends significantly more per year on an inmate than the average college student and state governments are cutting budgets for education to allot for incarceration funding (http:// thelearningcurve.pearson.com/index/ index-ranking) (http://money.cnn. com).

At the beginning of 2012 the US had 2.3 million adults incarcerated.

This statistic doesn’t include the 7 million that were in correctional supervision and the 4.8 million adults on parole or probation.

The country ranking second is China, with a little over 1.7 million adults incarcerated. To put things in perspective, China’s total population is right under 1.5 billion people.

The incarcerated population of China account for 0.001 percent of the total population, while the incarcerated in the United States account for 0.07 percent of the total population.

China’s population is also over four times greater than the United States’ population. In terms of population, the closest country to the United States is Indonesia.

The country of Indonesia is right below the United States in the population size rank, yet has one-thirteenth of the amount of prisoners according

to worldmeters.info and prisonstudies.org.

Due to the large volume of prisoners, more of the people’s tax dollars are being spent on the incarcerated than on the ones getting an education.

The national average for the cost of an inmate per year is around $50,000. In contrast, the national average for the amount given to an American college student is about $8,000 (cbsnews.com) (collegeboard. org).

“I feel that the United States spends too much money on inmates.

I understand that we need to keep them detained and in secure locations, but I feel that well-educated high school students, and soon-to-be college students should receive more [than $8,000,] since they’re going to be a contributing part of society,” Senior Collin Gilarno stated.

The expenses vary from state to state, but the one thing every state has in common is that more money is spent on an inmate than on a college student.

The state that spends the least on a college student per year is Utah.

Each year, Utah will spend approximately $6,000 per college student and will spend about $28,000 on an inmate.

The state that spends the most on a college student is New York. The state of New York will spend about $17,000 per year on a college student and will spend an astronomical $59,000 per year on an inmate.

Yes, that’s more than what most teachers, firefighters and some police officers will make in one year’s salary today according to salary.com. Money spent per year isn’t the only way states

Prom fever How early is too early when planning for spring formal?

Jamie Croll jcroll@freedomarea.org

There are still three months until prom, but a various amount of students are already preparing for the event.

Prom is one of the biggest events in many teenagers’ lives. Movies set high expectations for what prom should be like. To some, prom is a fairy tale; to others, it’s just seen as a night full of fun and dancing.

Freedom’s prom is open to all juniors and seniors, but underclassmen can attend if escorted by an upperclassman.

This year Junior Louis Dubovi announced prom will be on May 8th.

Before going to the dance, couples walk across the stage and down the aisles at grand march which is located

6

Am I pretty yet?

FHS Press

February 27, 2015

Beauty standards differ around the world Maddie Edder medder@freedomarea.org

Olivia Jansen/FHS Press

Women and girls in our society, tend to ask themselves, “Do I look good enough?” They often are comparing themselves to America’s standard of beauty, when the concept of beauty varies worldwide.

All over the world, females have been influenced by standards of beauty in their society or culture, especially with teenagers. Many ladies are often convinced by media and by what is considered “beautiful” or attractive” around them that they aren’t living up to standards, making them feel like they aren’t good enough.

“Once you’ve been told something that may let you look or feel more beautiful, every girl wants it, whether you’re a 21-year-old woman or a 12-year-old girl,” Freshman Hannah Kosela said.

Many females change the color of their hair, tan to change their skin color, wear a lot of makeup or go on unhealthy diets just to live up to what’s considered beautiful around them. This causes a great amount of insecurity within women and girls of all ages. But these girls don’t think about the simple fact that what’s considered beautiful in one country may not be considered beautiful in another.

In the United States today, females are often faced with the idea that “skinny is pretty.” Pictures of tall, and unhealthily thin models are always on covers of magazines and posted all over social media.

“I think society is the reason why young girls are the way they are.

They’re being told through media and advertisements of how to be beautiful,” Kosela said.

This concept often has a negative

influence on many females, making them believe they have to lose weight and “get skinny.” The idea of conforming into society’s version of “skinny” often gets into people’s heads.

On the flipside of this, there are actually cultures where larger women are considered to prettier than smaller, thinner women. In different African tribes, there are women who are sent to eat as much as they can all day long to achieve a larger size.

In these cultures, these women are considered to be of higher class and their bigger size defines what beauty looks like.

Many countries are known for having beauty standards that aren’t as unusual as others. For example, in countries like United Kingdom, Germany and many other European countries, wearing a vast amount of makeup and spending a lot of time applying makeup is a popular thing to do.

The changing of skin tone is also a popular standard of beauty in different

Fussing over food

cultures and countries, including the United States. In Thailand, it’s considered beautiful to have the purest of white skin by the process of skin whitening, but in Australia it’s considered prettier to use self-tanner and have tanner skin. There are more unusual ones, such as older Chinese women who still bind their feet to make them smaller or those who have face tattoos in different tribes in New Zealand.

Another unusual standard of beauty comes from Ethiopia, where it’s considered to be extremely beautiful for women to have scars all of over their bodies. They give themselves scars on purpose, for it’s a great sign of beauty. Many people would find their scars unattractive but, in these parts of the world, a young woman will be more likely to find a husband if she has many scars.

“I think in other countries, women are forced to have no freedom of expression through their beauty, and that saddens me. I think women

should be free to feel beautiful in whatever way they need to,” Junior Emma Cumberledge said.

In June 2014, a video titled “Beauty Standards Around The World” was posted on YouTube by a BuzzFeed account to show how beauty standards extremely differ throughout the world. A woman by the name of Esther Honig sent a plain, unaltered picture of herself to over 40 Photoshop experts and told them to “make her beautiful.” These Photoshop experts were from all over the world and they photoshopped her face to portray the standards of beauty in over different 20 countries.

When first watching this video, it may appear as if Honig wanted them to actually make her look beautiful, but her real reasoning was to show how beauty standards vary throughout every different country or culture.

“It just boggles my mind that women are supposed to be this picture perfect image in every way and, obviously, the country I live in isn’t the only one who thinks that,” Cumberledge said.

Beauty standards can be a very negative influence on anyone, no matter how old they are, what gender they are or how they look.

Almost everyone is affected by beauty standards at some point and in some way. In some cultures or countries, it’s a more popular idea that people follow by than others.

What beauty looks like isn’t the only different between countries and cultures; it’s different from each set of eyes. Everyone has their own preference of what beauty looks like. Each and every person looks different in their own special way and that is what makes everyone beautiful.

The science of picky eating Kids all over the world protest over their meals, but is it really their fault? The answer may just lie in their genes.

There are two classifications to know about if we’re to understand why this occurs: food neophobia and general “picky” or “fussy” eating. Food neophobia is the reluctance to eat or try new foods, as well as the avoidance of these specific foods. “Picky” or “fussy” eating is defined as consuming an inadequate variety of foods through rejection of a substantial amount of foods that are familiar (as well as unfamiliar) to them.

In a recent study, nearly 25 percent of regularly developing children fall into this category, and this trend can continue into adulthood due to several different factors. These factors include age, personality, gender and social influences. However, a recently discovered factor could change our perception of “picky” eating.

Sometimes, the reluctance to eat

certain foods could actually come from the child’s parents and the genetics that they pass on. In a recent study of twins between the ages of four and seven years old, it was discovered that 72 percent of their resistance to try the foods were from genetic variations.

The rest were due to environmental factors.

One of the least popular foods for “fussy” children to try is broccoli, but this could all be explained by the presence of PTC, or phenylthiocarbamide. PTC is a substance that has the unusual property of tasting bitter or virtually tasteless depending on the genetic makeup of a person. Of course, if a child was exposed to broccoli early on in life, the child may be more likely to accept it. However, PTC affects 75 percent of the population, and remains a dominant genetic trait.

A simple test is to have children taste a chemical strip of PTC. Some will taste it and some won’t. Those that don’t taste it will have no trouble eating foods that contain PTC. Those who do taste the chemical are less likely to enjoy broccoli, which contains

PTC. This strongly correlates to the ability to taste toxins, which may be due to our primitive roots when it was imperative to be able to taste toxins in certain foods. Next time a child says that they don’t like broccoli, it may be due to the genes that their parents passed on. However, those who have been repeatedly exposed can grow used to the taste.

Along with tasting bitterness more strongly, “picky” eaters may also taste differently altogether. As humans, we have about 10,000 taste buds residing in our tongues over the course of about a two-week cycle. The taste buds are attached to what are called receptors, which detect basic tastes such as sweet, salty, bitter, sour and savory. These receptors detect one of these tastes and it send chemicals to a specific part of the brain for the taste detected.

In a study by a Yale psychologist, those that avoided alcohol and spicy foods were found to have more taste buds than the average person. These “supertasters” perceive the tastes at a greater intensity. Therefore, their

Olivia Jansen/FHS Press

Lara Pavlick lpavlick@freedomarea.org

brains receive stronger taste signals.

Although selective eating studies are still fairly new, if scientists can discover more correlations, we may be able to understand and make connections with certain disorders.

As for those unfortunate few who have strong taste receptors and are labeled as “picky” eaters, with repeated exposure and advances in the field of study, many can get past their food fears and they can live socially fulfilling lives as well.

February 27, 2015

‘2’ Kill a Mockingbird

FHS Press

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Harper Lee set to release sequel to 1960 literary classic Dereck Majors dmajors@freedomarea.org

Ever since its publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” has become one of the most read books of all time. Through its unique perspective of the protagonist, 6 year-old Scout Finch, telling the story as an adult, the novel focuses on social issues like rape and inequality. Even though the story has a satisfying ending, Lee is set to release a sequel.

On Feb. 3, Lee’s publisher stated that Lee will be releasing “Go Set a Watchman.” Set to be released on

July 14, 2015, the 304 page novel will be her first published work since “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The novel was discovered by her lawyer in the fall of 2014, who quickly realized that what she began to read wasn’ from Lee’s one hit wonder.

“Go Set a Watchman” takes place as Scout, an adult living in New York, goes to visit her father in Maycomb, Ala. As she returns, she comes to terms with issues, personal and political, and her father’s views of these situations. She then comes to realize her own feelings about her hometown and the situations that occur within.

The novel will be published unedited, as it was originally written.

Originally Lee submitted “Go Set a Watchman” to her publisher in the mid-1950’s, who suggested that she rewrite the novel from the young Scout’s perspective. This idea then became the Pulitzer Prize winning novel that has sold over 300 million copies since its publication and has been translated into about 40 languages.

With the news of this literary event, many have speculated the release of the novel to be suspicious.

Some speculate that due to Lee’s,

who’s 88 years old, recent stroke and subsequently decreasing health that she isn’t in full control of this situation. She has been known to sign paperwork without any question under her sister’s care. Lee’s sister passed away in Nov. 2014, leaving Lee to make decisions for herself.

With the controversy surrounding its release, fans of the Lee classic are still hopeful for what will likely become the most talked about release of 2015.

Hannah Shumsky hshumsky@freedomarea.org

songs were all over the Internet. Just as quickly as people started to parody and make fun of the song, others got annoyed by the Internet trends that boosted Black’s song to popularity, which ended the initial popularity of Black’s song.

Plus, the “Alex from Target” trend was fairly recent, the relevance of the trend has gone down since its initial popularity. This irrelevance is the beginning of the end for this instantly popular Internet trend.

There are many people who are considered famous and well-known for their hard work. These people include inventors and performers, for example. However, especially with the access of apps like Vine, where a user can produce a video in six seconds, this “hard work” and fame has turned into a way to get attention in an easier way than ever before.

In addition to that point, the people who are working hard (like regularly filming, editing and uploading videos, for example) will have a harder time gaining attention. The biggest amount of attention, unfortunately, goes to people who either did nothing (like Alex from Target, who only gained fame because of a picture of him that was taken while he wasn’t looking) or did something ridiculous for attention. The people online who work hard and should have a following will lose promotion opportunities to people who didn’t work as hard, but have more “fame.”

The Internet has made gaining attention much easier. Through websites and social media, our generation has found several ways to get connected. Unfortunately, this ease of Internet access has led to short-lived attention, not real fame.

Gaining popularity in a click

Is Internet fame real fame?

Devin Daley ddaley@freedomarea.org

The evolution of the Internet has led to many people gaining a following and even making their living off of doing various things on the Internet.

Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Vine and YouTube have aided this growth by offering a place for these people to express themselves. The question of whether or not people who are popular on these should really be considered famous has come up quite a bit recently and I wholeheartedly believe that people who have gained their fame through social media should be regarded in the same light as anyone in Hollywood.

Firstly, for someone trying to make it on the Internet, the process can be harder than gaining fame in Hollywood. This is because in Hollywood, you often have people backing you and people who can more easily get what you do out to the masses easily. However, for someone on the Internet, spreading the word about what you do can be difficult.

Much like in the acting world, gaining fame from the Internet can be more luck than actual talent, in some instances. The Internet sensation “Alex From Target” is an example of this chance. Alex Lee was just a normal teenager until a girl checking out at his register snapped a picture of him and put it on the Internet, where it proceeded to trend on Twitter. This is an example of how quickly and easily one can gain their fame on the Internet. The unlimited connectivity allows for the most unexpected things to gain instant popularity. The Internet is truly a place where the people decide what’s popular.

This ability for the people to choose what’s popular is what sets

the Internet apart from the film and music industry. In the film or music industry, creations often times must be critiqued by production companies before it’s available to the public.

However, on the Internet, anyone can post their creations, allowing a much wider array of content. This means there’s a lot more opportunity for competition. This diversity is another reason why people who have gained their popularity through the Internet should be respected as much as the celebrities and musicians that are considered famous by everyone’s standards.

Finally, many people who are famous through offline things use the Internet to boost their popularity. An example of this is Psy, whose song, “Gangnam Style,” gained its popularity through its music video on YouTube. This video remains the most viewed video in YouTube history. In addition, Justin Bieber has become very popular and gained his record deal after talent manager Scooter Braun discovered his YouTube channel. The song, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” by Rick Astley, hit a giant wave of popularity in 2008, when the song was the subject of a trend called “Rickrolling,” where the songs music video would play after a few seconds of some other footage. This would be paired with a deceiving title to trick people into watching the video. This Internet trend revived Astley’s career for a short period. These instances of the Internet starting and enhancing the careers of musical artists are just another reason that Internet fame should be respected.

Overall, people should respect the work that people put toward their career or hobby in order to gain their fame, whether it be online or offline.

In recent years, social media and other popular websites have taken over the Internet. People are getting connected by posting creative content online. While this online content has gained plenty of attention, I believe that most Internet fame isn’t real fame.

First of all, the audience is only limited to online viewers. This means that, unless the person works or got attention through various platforms, they’ll only be able to gain viewers through online promotions. If the person is lucky enough to gain a following and is creative and dedicated enough to keep posting content, then they’ll be able to, eventually, work outside of online platforms; however, only a small amount of people online will get the chance of gaining fame offline.

Especially for Internet trends, popularity is short-lived. Through news stories on major broadcasting networks, these trends will gain more attention quickly; however, as soon as the trend becomes popular, people get tired of it and stop talking about it. Eventually, popular video content like “fail” videos, challenges and horribly-produced songs will remain a memory that today’s teens will barely remember in the future. While the overnight trends will have initial popularity, because the “fame” will last for only a small period of time, it isn’t real, genuine fame.

In 2011, Rebecca Black, who was 13 years old at the time, came out with her extremely popular song, “Friday.” The song received plenty of negative attention at the time and, for a long time after the song’s release, parodies and memes of the

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Flop like a fish...in agony

FHS Press

The new SpongeBob film disappoints Peter Korman pkorman@freedomarea.org

««««« After over 10 years of waiting and dwindling interest, the second SpongeBob SquarePants film, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”, finally arrives in theaters.

Was it worth the wait?

Not really. “Sponge Out of Water” is actually a complete structural train-wreck with few redeeming factors. It takes a plot that could work as a 30-minute television special and stretches it out to 93 minutes with obnoxious padding and random scenes with absolutely no consequence to the overall plot.

Here’s the idea: while Plankton (one of the villains of the television show) is stealing the secret formula for the Krabby Patty, a favorite food of the residents of SpongeBob’s hometown, the formula magically disappears.

SpongeBob has to prove Plankton’s innocence by teaming up with him while the city is falling apart due to the extreme need for Krabby Patties.

The story is told by Burger Beard, a pirate played by Antonio Banderas, who’’s the actual thief and plans on selling Krabby Patties to humans.

While this plot would loan itself decently well to an extended episode of the show, as a 93-minute film, it simply doesn’t work.There are many pointless subplots and sequences added to the story in order to increase the length. In one pointless sequence, Plankton enters SpongeBob’s mind which leads nowhere. There’s also a sequence where SpongeBob and

Plankton meet a mystical dolphin who oversees the cosmos, and this extensive sequence only happens so that later, when the dolphin reappears, he can give the characters a power that they could have easily gained through other means (which I’ll describe shortly). There’s a very pointless musical number that seems like a cheap knock-off of the classic SpongeBob song, “F.U.N.” There’s even a scene where a dinosaur appears for absolutely no reason and contributes nothing to the rest of the story.

Despite those examples, they almost seem harmless in comparison to the film’s biggest waste of the time: the time-travel plotline. SpongeBob and Plankton have to travel back in time to stop the secret formula of the Krabby Patty from vanishing, but they grab a duplicate (placed by Plankton at the beginning) accidentally, rendering the entire subplot pointless. They don’t go back to fix their mistakes, so I question why that entire section of the film even mattered. It didn’t add any character development. It didn’t contribute any funny moments. It literally just happened to increase the length of the film.

There are also huge gaps of logic in the story. Using a page from a magic book, SpongeBob turns himself and his friends into superheroes, but is still surprised by the appearance of Plankton and Sandy for some reason.

The mystical dolphin from earlier in the film grants the characters the ability to breathe on land, despite the fact that they could’ve used the page from the magic book to do this, and that would eliminate the usefulness of the dolphin (who was only in the film to pad the runtime). Why didn’t

SpongeBob just use the magic page to bring the secret formula back to Bikini Bottom instead of becoming a superhero? Why didn’t Plankton steal the Krabby Patty formula when he finally had it in his grasp?

So, “Sponge Out of Water” is pretty much a disaster, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a well-made disaster. The traditional animation (which is a lot more prominent than the trailers for the film would suggest) looks better than ever. You can see paintbrush strokes all over the background, making the whole thing feel like a lot of care was put into it. The sequences in the real world look quite nice, with lots of detail put into each character model (even if their superhero forms, except for Sandy, looks terrible).

If you go see this, don’t see it in 3D. It’s one of the worst conversions I’ve ever seen, and the animators’ obsession with animating dust-particles completely threw off my depth-perception and gave me a horrible headache. The 3D conversion doesn’t do justice to the beautiful animation.

The music presented here is also quite excellent. While all of the original songs written for the film are really bad, the score is surprisingly amazing. It features lots of traditional SpongeBob tunes, some new tunes that fit the world beautifully. There are also some themes in the film that are surprisingly epic and match a scope that this film never came close to reaching.

The acting in the film is another thing that “Sponge Out of Water” does right. The voice acting is just as good as it’s been since the show started. If you don’t like anyone from the show, you’re not going to like them here. The

February 27, 2015

real star of the show here is Antonio Banderas, who pulls off the cartoony villain, Burger Beard, with a surprising level of dedication. His performance kept me entertained, but it didn’t save the film.

Is “Sponge Out of Water” the worst animated film since “Penguins of Madagascar?” No, few things are that bad, but it still manages to prove (with its success at the box-office) that studios are more concerned with selling animated films to gullible children rather than making good films that happen to be animated.

Did you notice that all of the trailers featured almost nothing but the superhero forms of the characters (which were shown so much that the trailers almost feel like false advertising)? That’s because Paramount was more concerned with the marketing than they were with the film itself.

News flash, Paramount: people will go see a new SpongeBob film even if there’s no silly gimmick attached to it. You don’t need to advertise a new Smurfs film with SpongeBob characters in order to make something successful.

In preparation for “Sponge Out of Water”, I watched the first film again and it holds up surprisingly well, telling a decent story and containing several good laughs. The difference between the first and second film is that one wanted to tell a good story that anyone could enjoy, but this film is made for kids exclusively, neglecting to tell an interesting story in favor of being just another kids’ film. Don’t watch “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”. It’s not the SpongeBob you remember and it’s just not good.

RealTalk with Raylen Q & A with Cupid

Q: Many people believe that you’re purely mythical. What do you have to say to them?

A: Well, I’m obviously sitting here doing this interview with you, so I really don’t understand how they could say that. Just because you can’t always see me doesn’t mean I’m not around. You are all in school together every day and, let me tell you, some of you never see each other. It’s like some of you are completely invisible to each other.

Q: What is the best part of your job?

A: I really love when I find great people to make the best and most unexpected couples. I love seeing how happy they can make each other and how they complete each other.

Sometimes, being in a relationship can really bring out the best in people.

It can show the sides of a person that they may not have shown before.

I love making matches that make both people happier and I like seeing all of the things they learn about themselves, each other and the world around them along the way.

Q: What is your biggest regret?

A: Choosing a diaper as a uniform.

Really, what was I thinking?

Q: Do you ever make mistakes when you are setting people up?

A: I’m a pretty good matchmaker, so it’s not really the pairing people up that’s hard. But, I don’t always have the aim of Katniss Everdeen, if you know what I mean.

Q: What usually ends up happening if you miss?

A: Well, one of the following three circumstances usually ends up happening: They go to the Prom together and some poor chick ends up wearing a horrendous dress and being orange; they become the couple awkwardly making out in the hallway that makes everyone cringe and uncomfortable; or, they have the complete and total trainwreck of a relationship that ends up tearing apart friend groups. There is, however, always that small chance that, despite my mistake, they’ll actually fall for each other and be great together. But, that’s a rather rare occurrence; like I said, I normally know who should go

together.

Q: What did I ever do to you?

A: Oh, Raylen, your time will come, and so will that of all of the other singles. Some of you just haven’t met your match yet, and that’s OK. There are plenty of fish in the sea and FHS is like a small watering can located in the kiddie pool of Beaver County. But, you should make the most of your time being single. Have fun, spend time with your friends and just enjoy being a kid. You have the rest of your life to be in a relationship. Don’t worry so much about trying to find a soulmate in high school. Instead, spend time making memories and seizing every opportunity that piques your interest.

Q: So, Cupid, do you have any last words of advice?

A: Take things slow, but be brave.

Guys, if you really like a girl and think she might be interested, take a chance. And girls, this is 2015; don’t be afraid to take the risk of asking someone out yourself. However, never text, email or IM someone an invitation, whether it be asking them on a date or to your oh-so-precious Prom.

Although it might take a little more

Olivia Jansen/FHS Press

Raylen Welling rwelling@freedomarea.org

courage to ask someone face-toface, I guarantee that they’ll be more likely to say, “Yes.”

FHS Press

February 27, 2015

Movie takes viewers on an emotional roller coaster Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Marley Hoko mhoko@freedomarea.org

««««« On Jan. 16, the controversial and highly successful film “American Sniper” was released. The film depicts the life of U.S Navy Seal Chris Kyle, who is the most deadly sniper in U.S. history. At a quick glance, it may look like “just another war movie,” but that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. The watcher loses themselves in the story while rooting for Kyle, who is played by actor Bradley Cooper, to prevail. Throughout the movie, it flips between Kyle in war and his home life. By doing that, it helps to put everything into perspective and makes the movie more life-like.. Chris Kyle wasn’t a heartless sniper, but a father, husband, brother and brave soldier.

This was an incredible story that took the audience on an emotional roller coaster. It was one of the most heartbreaking pieces put out to date.

Even if the viewer was aware of Kyle’s unfortunate fate, actually watching him survive the horrendous war stories and then be murdered after he arrived home was a powerful aspect of the movie. Personally, it left me feeling heartbroken and sitting in the theater crying.

The most emotional and powerful line in the movie is said when Kyle was on the phone with his wife, voice trembling and tears running down his face. “I’m ready to come home, baby.”

Kyle said, burying his face in his hands, overcome with emotion. This was by far one of the most heartbreaking things said in the entire movie.

Nearly everyone in the theater near me cried.

Throughout the duration of the film, many phone calls had been exchanged between the couple; some in private and others on the battle field. It’s nearly impossible to step into Kyle’s wife’s shoes, talking to your husband one minute and the next his voice is drowned out by gunfire and screams. The reason this movie is hard hitting is the fact it’s based

FHS Press — Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Brianna Frashure editor@freedomarea.org Managing Editor: Brittany Bionda managing@freedomarea.org News Editor: Reilly Collins Asst. News Editor: Hannah Shumsky news@freedomarea.org Features Editor: Gracie Hutchison Asst. Features Editor: Lara Pavlick features@freedomarea.org

Copy Editors: Breanna Leasure, Brianna McKee, Hope Nuzzo Business Manager: Raylen Welling business@freedomarea.org Newspaper Adviser: Mr. Aaron Fitzpatrick afitzpatrick@freedomarea.org

Sports Editor: Marley Hoko Asst. Sports Editor: Devin Daley sports@freedomarea.org

Photo and Design Editor: Emily Allego photo@freedomarea.org

Art Director: Olivia Jansen art@freedomarea.org Asst. Art Director: Michael Fricke

Social Media Director: Carly Park socialmedia@freedomarea.org

Contributing Artists: Olivia Jansen, Carly Park

Web Editor: Nick Schreiner web@freedomarea.org

Section Flags: Raylen Welling, Lara Pavlick, Marley Hoko Staff Writers: Peter Korman, Zach Kugel, Maddie Edder, Joey Pail, Michael Fricke, Travis Hryckowian, Dereck Majors, Michelle Keith, Lea Gualtieri, Jamie Croll Editorial Policies: FHS Press is the official student newspaper serving students and staff at Freedom Area High School, in Freedom, Pennsylvania. The views presented herein are not representative of the school, faculty, or administration; they are solely the views of individual student writers. The staff editorial is written based on the majority opinion of the student editorial board. The newspaper accepts and strives to publish signed letters to the editor under 250 words, which can be sent to editor@freedomarea.org. To submit comments, questions, or press releases, or to purchase advertising in the paper, email fhspress@freedomarea.org, or contact Mr. Fitzpatrick in Room 226.

off of a true story.

Kyle was commonly known as “The Legend.” He served four tours overseas and had 160 confirmed kills.

Everyday, he sat patiently waiting to shoot in order to protect his men. He put his life on the line so others could survive.

Kyle was such a lethal sniper that he became notorious around the terrorist group. They were so desperate for him to stop that they put a bounty on his head.

After he finished his duties, he tried to fall back into a regular home life. Throughout it all, it always came back to the fact that he just wanted to save people and wished that he could’ve saved more. This was another one of those tear jerking scenes. As a man who had already done so much,

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he felt as if he had failed everyone.

Once settling back into routine, he begins his work helping fellow veterans at the shooting range. Even knowing what the outcome was going to be, I had tears running down my face. As he’s leaving the house to meet a marine to take him to shoot, the scene shows Kyle walking towards the marine waiting for him and his wife standing in the doorway. It shows his wife one last time.

The look in her eyes is something that I will never be able to forget. It was almost like she knew that it was going to be the last time that she would ever see her husband alive. You could see the hurt, pain and sadness in her eyes. It was heartbreaking.

That day, he was shot and killed by that marine. Kyle would never see his wife and kids again. Sitting in the theater crying, unable to stop, as I read those words on the screen. At the end, it shows actual clips of Kyle’s funeral. Hundreds of people lined the streets, and the memorial service was so large it had to be held in a football stadium. People came from all over the country to pay their respects to the man who bravely and selflessly fought for our freedom and safety.

Overall, I can say that this is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. I highly recommend American Sniper to any movie goer who wants to be truly moved by a motion picture.

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FHS Press

February 27, 2015

With the cold comes cautions

School districts cannot decide when to delay or close school In high school, most teenagers evolve from riding the bus to driving themselves throughout their four years. Having only about a year of driving experience, these students enjoy commuting to school on their own. But with our location in the United States, snow can present a major issue. Each winter, our area receives a bit of snow. In some years, almost two feet of snow has fallen.

Since some FHS students drive smaller cars without four-wheel drive, driving in the snow can endanger their safety. Buses are also at risk of sliding off the road, or even being incapable of starting up.

“The overarching question is always a question of safety,” Principal William Deal said.

As for this winter season, there have been a few days that have been questionably terrible, which a delay could have fixed. Let’s face it, waking and up not being able to see the road

isn’t a very assuring view. On the contrary, there have been a few days where a delay occurred, even though the roads were acceptable. Some of us don’t live in Conway or Freedom where the roads are taken care of more often. Many of the students live in New Sewickley, where there are many private roads are untouched.

With our winter weather progressing each day, a few delays wouldn’t hurt. Many times, the turnout of students is higher on a bad day when the extra time is given to trek to school.

From a teacher’s standpoint, the only issue with a delay is less time to learn because of less time in the classroom.

The fact that there are student drivers who commute to school everyday, the snow and ice causes major concern.

“The roads out by my house are usually pretty bad, so getting to school on a snowy day is terrible,” Junior Jacob Moldovan said.

Seeing as our school district consists of many areas, it’s hard to gauge how bad the roads really are.

Top jobs for 2020 Michael Fricke mfricke@freedomarea.org

The ever-winding path to an exciting and readily available career has always been a challenging road for students to follow. Deciding what career path a student wants to pursue is one of the most crucial decisions they will make in high school, and can seem overwhelming, especially with the endless number of careers in today’s workforce.

Currently science, technology and engineering fields are projected to continue to grow, which means a select few jobs are ripe for the picking in the economic market. As these industries continue to flourish, so will their employment and ability to hire.

By 2020, many high school students currently residing in Freedom will be graduating and entering the workforce of tomorrow.

Software development is a well-paying career where workers take part in creating everything from the next generation of Microsoft Word to the world’s most popular portable games. As the need for technology, along with programs to run alongside it increases, so does the demand for occupations involving software development. This occupation pays well, with the median salary ranging around $90,000, but a computer systems analyst’s salary is slightly higher (by about $10,000). This worker would analyze a company’s software needs and suggest the appropriate software to best run their operations.

In the medical field, business is booming as usual. People constantly coming down with this year’s cold, breaking their arm while playing baseball or receiving physical therapy for their stiff joints. Because of this, the need for physical therapists and nurses are always at a positive employment rate. If a student enjoys helping others, seems interested

and would like to be paid well for it, he or she should consider a career in the medical field. Options vary widely, and advancement is always welcome with the appropriate degree.

A specialist or surgeon in this field is usually paid upwards of $167,000, but with the high cost of stress, long shifts and a long education.

If a student is interested in finances, they may be interested in becoming an accountant or business analyst. All major businesses have someone who advises them on how to invest their money and whether or not they’re making a substantial profit.

This job zone always thrives due to business’s constant need to maximize profit and minimize costs. This career pays a median salary of $63,000.

If a college education isn’t the path of a student’s choosing, they might want to consider going to a trade school and becoming a carpenter or construction manager. There are always new buildings being constructed, and construction project managers oversee and direct workers to their specific tasks.This career typically doesn’t equire a college education, and can pay a median salary of $59,000.

In terms of careers for 2020, a student would best be suited in a career involving a sector that constantly requires jobs. This includes the technology and medical departments especially, despite the heavy education expenses. An important aspect for students to consider is job appeal. Although medical field careers are tempting with their wide numbers, the medical degree ticket to ride doesn’t come easy.

In addition, many jobs require long hours and/or little time for a family, and the best job may not necessarily be the highest paying. Chose a career that best suits your interests and talents and you’ll be sure to succeed in whatever you do.

Travis Hryckowian/FHS Press

Travis Hryckowian thryckowian@freedomarea.org

Icy road cause concern for drivers.

A list of people must be called and talked to before Dr. Jeffrey Fuller can arrange a delay or closing. Freedom has had a few days where a delay would have helped.

In our district, some schools are thinking about changing their policies; instead of delays, they will only have cancellations. The only

school so far to actually do this is Blackhawk, with New Brighton on the fence. Blackhawk’s idea is to not delay and leave it up to the judgment of students and staff.

“No matter what choice we make, it’s hardly ever the right one to suit everyone,” Deal said.

Cracking the theaters

‘Imitation Game’ tells story of a brillant man Reilly Collins rcollins@freedomarea.org

««««« “Sometimes it’s the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine,” Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightley, said. This quote is a perfect representation of the film, which tells the story of a man named Alan Turing, who was by no means an ordinary man, though many people failed see the greatness inside of him.

Based on a true story and set during WWII, The Imitation Game follows the life of Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, as he and a few fellow cryptanalysts try to crack the “impossible” enigma code. The enigma code was the code used by the German troops that allowed them to relay messages that could only be understood by a fellow Germans.

This machine that had 159 million combinations and the Germans would change their combination every day. The British government brought together the best and brightest cryptanalysts, including a female, thanks to Turing’s unbiased views, to work in complete secrecy to crack the German’s code and win the war. The movie showcases much more than the work done to crack the code. It also shows the viewer Turing’s background, the development between the characters and his life outside of Bletchley Park, where all the work on enigma was done.

The Screenwriter, Graham Moore, created a very realistic script that stayed true to the time period in which the movie is set and the way people truly interact. Director Morten Tyldum did a wonderful job capturing

the audience’s attention with a quiet suspense that perfectly intertwines with character and keeps everyone intrigued throughout the entirety of the nearly two hour run-time.

Benedict Cumberbatch beautifully brings to life the socially awkward, slightly arrogant, generally misunderstood and absolutely brilliant man that was Turing. Cumberbatch does a fantastic job displaying the many different sides of Turing and showed great care in the way he portrayed the incredible man, whose accomplishments have gone without their deserving recognition.

Cumberbatch wasn’t alone in giving a great performance, with Knightley and Matthew Goode adding to the overall quality and believability of the movie with their portrayal of their respective characters. Knightley and Goode both added dimensions to their roles, which resulted in an evolution of their characters throughout the movie and helped substantiate their relationships with Turing and the rest of the cast.

Overall the movie had a quiet, compelling nature to it that was uniquely brought to life by the actors who took so much care into becoming the characters they were portraying.

The movie’s plot may seem to some as though it would be boring and make the audience think far too much to be actually enjoyable, but those people would be mistaken. The movie doesn’t waste time with too much thinking, nor does it dwell on the any minor details, but instead it immaculately tells the story of one man’s life, who has changed all of our lives without anyone really realizing it.

WRESTLING:

All for one and one for all Wrestling team works together toward tournament success Michelle Keith

Wrestling is unlike most other high school sports. In other sports such as baseball or football, athletes succeed when the team wins as a whole. Obviously, there are key players on any team who score many of the team’s points or help ensure the team’s victory. In those other sports, however, they aren’t the only athlete on the field or court at that time, so they can pass the ball and depend on other teammates. In wrestling, the team wins and loses as a whole. They cheer on other teammates and encourage one another at their practices.

On the other hand, wrestlers step onto the mats alone. No matter how much encouragement their teammates and fans give to them, a victory depends on how one man (or woman) does and whether or not he or she is a “better” wrestler than his or her opponent. At the end of the match, when the handshaking is over, one wrestler’s hand will be raised in victory and the other’s hand won’t.

Michelle Keith/FHS Press

mkeith@freedomarea.org

This fact weighs down on the shoulders of many of the FHS wrestlers. It’s easy for athletes on other teams to make excuses for a loss and blame other teammates when the going gets tough.

Wrestlers don’t have this luxury.

They’re held accountable for every win, loss or pin. Wrestlers take the results of each match to heart, which can add an immense amount of pressure to the individual wrestlers.

“Wrestling is 50 percent mental and 50 percent physical.The pressure and nervousness is all a part of the sport,” Junior Levi Bonzo said. “If a wrestler can’t control their nerves and deal with the pressure, they’re most likely going to lose the match before they’ve even stepped onto the mat.”

This year the FHS wrestling team has been able to overcome the nerves and pressure in order to make back-toback playoff appearances. While the regular team season is over, there are still several tournaments left for individual wrestlers to potentially wrestle against people all over the state of Pennsylvania for a chance at

Wrestler Michael Muron tries to pin opponent during a match.

gaining a state title. In these tournaments, wrestlers face the fact that each match determines whether they’re able to move on and continue in the competition or not.

“I wrestle with the same mentality and intensity in every match whether it’s for the overall team or at a tournament. I’m hoping to place at regionals this year along with several of my teammates,” Bonzo said.

Nine wrestlers placed in the sectional tournament on Feb. 14 and 3 wrestlers, Bonzo, and Sophomores Kody Komara and Dean Ward placed at the WPIAL tournament on Feb. 21 and will be competing at the regional tournament on Feb. 28. From there the wrestlers who place will move on to the state wrestling tournament in Hershey, Pa.

HOCKEY:

Multi-school mania

A hockey player’s take on playing for a different school Devin Daley

ddaley@freedomarea.org Breanna Leasure Some people are better skaters than others. A few trip over their feet as soon as their skates touch the ice, others were born to play on it. There are three boys in Freedom that were born to play on the ice, but have to represent another school while doing so.

Freedom’s players are given the option to play for Blackhawk. They can play on the junior varsity or varsity team, depending on their skill level.

This switchup can be difficult at first, as different teams run different systems, which means that after just learning Ambridge’s system Freedom players are tasked with learning the Blackhawk systems. FHS hockey players had to make this transition when they began playing for Blackhawk.

“It was a bit of a switch at first because we went from a familiar, laid back environment to a new, much more competitive one,” Junior Stuart Skogholm said.

Any transition is bound to have

Devin Daley/FHS Press

bleasure@freedomarea.org

its difficulties, because leaving the natural comfort zone can be a hard thing to do. However, the hospitality of Blackhawk’s players and fans made the transition easier, according to Skogsholm.

“The guys all accepted us quickly, though, and we became close very quickly,” Skogsholm said. “Everyone accepted us right away, even the Blackhawk fans. Now, we are just as much a part of the team as anybody.”

The players felt accepted when entering into the new team.

“The acceptance [made] the transition between two incredibly different teams easier,” Junior Alex Lundy said.

“I can’t say [that] I dislike playing for Blackhawk because I’ve played with most of those guys in amateurs for as long as I can remember.”

“My favorite goal was scored way back in eighth grade, during a double overtime in a playoff game. I had a breakaway and scored the goal that took us to the championship,” Lundy said. “As for this season, we beat Meadville so badly that their coaches gave us seven buckets of KFC.” While memories are being made, the process of being on a new team can be added stress to the newcomers. It’s not just the players that welcome the new players, but it’s the fans as well.

“As for the people paying attention

Junior Kenny Rose goes for the puck during their game on Feb. 12.

to hockey, I can’t really say it would bother me if we had 100 people in the stands or 20,” Lundy said. “ As long as I’m playing the game I love, I will be happy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always great to see your friends cheering you on.”

Being new to the team may be hard at first for some players, but Skogsholm, Lundy and Junior Kenny

Rose were able to make the switch without too much difficulty.

After becoming great friends with their teammates and playing many games together, the Blackhawk team has scored themselves a playoff position.

12

FHS Press

February 27, 2015

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:

Defending a playoff spot Girls’ basketball team extends their season Brianna Frashure

bfrashure@freedomarea.org Brittany Bionda As many of the winter sports teams’ seasons came to an end during the month of Feb., the Freedom Girls’ basketball team’s season didn’t. Their regular season, ending on Feb. 6, took them to the first round of WPIAL playoffs and after roughly two weeks of waiting to see who their opponent would be, they were finally matched up and ready to play.

With this playoff position in the 2014-2015 season, it allowed the girls to make back to back playoff appearances.

“We’re playing the same teams this year that we did last year, so our chances are high [in playoffs] but we’re hoping for the best,” Sophomore Ashley Gaus said.

With another chance in the running, the team has been trying to improve themselves for playoffs. On the court, the team has attempted new techniques during their warm ups and during practices to try to enhance their performance.

Freedom, has a section record of 6-6, and an overall record of 11-13.

The team has an average PA (point

Brittany Bionda/FHS Press

bbionda@freedomarea.org

average) of 46.6. Being an AA school, puts the team in section 5 of WPIAL. This allows them to play schools that are roughly the size of Freedom.

At the start of playoffs, the girls played their first game in the preliminary round with a game against Brentwood at Hampton on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The girls won with a final score of 43-38.

After this game, they were moved into the next round of playoffs, and they played North Hills at Burrell on Feb. 17. The game ended with a final score of 60-19, North Hills .

“I think [Senior Madi Daubenspeck] is the unsung hero of our team because she always scores a lot of points and she has a great outside shot,” Gaus said.

Daubenspeck’s hard work payed off when she was awarded athlete of the week.

Senior Madi Daubenspeck goes for a lay-up during a game at home.

“It was an honor to get awarded with athlete of the week. I worked teams that are out of our section. talented; next year’s season has a very hard and I’m glad my hard work Doing that makes it better, because it great outlook,” Daubenspeck said. paid off and got noticed,” Daubenspeck makes us work harder,” Gaus said.

As the seniors say farewell, the said.

The team ended their season with underclassmen get the opportunity to Scan the QR code a record of 11-13. With a total of four step up and continue to strive for the with your smart next years season. seniors leaving, the underclassmen “I think [the girl’s] will be better will have to step up to fill the shoes of phone to go to the than we were this year with the these missing players.

SPORTS section of “This year we have played teams talent that is on our team. The eighth our website! that are a challenge to us; especially graders coming up are also extremely